Actress Salma Hayek has been trying to get a film about the life of painter Frida Kahlo off the ground for so long that she eventually started to run into other competing projects (Madonna and Jennifer Lopez also wanted the role). However, with director Julie Taymor at the helm, I had little doubt that Hayek's version would be the only (or at least the first) to hit screens. Those who have seen Taymor's prior film or stage work (or were lucky enough to study elements of both in the traveling museum exhibition of her work a couple of years ago) know how well her remarkable, fascinating imagination transfers to the screen or stage, and that's true once again here.

"Frida" stars Hayek as the painter of the title. Taymor's picture opens in the 20's, as Frida was growing up in Mexico. Early on, she's terribly injured in a bus crash, but her parents do as best they can to see that she is nursed back to at least some level of good health. While she never quite broke free of the pain, she eventually began to walk again. Once up on her feet, she seeks out the advice of Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), the famed muralist. When he doesn't readily offer his opinions on her paintings, her snappy reply compells him to visit her work. After checking out her paintings, he finds both her and them remarkable. So starts a tortured relationship, full of ups and downs, with Frida becoming more and more angered with her husband's indiscretions and womanizing. The rest of the movie focuses on their lives together, from visiting New York so Diego can paint a controverial mural for Nelson Rockefeller (Edward Norton, who is Hayek's boyfriend and also worked on the final draft of the script), to their return to Mexico to her pregnancy.

If this sounds like a guide to Frida's life, it pretty much is. While I'm sure the picture gets things at least fairly accurately, it doesn't introduce that much conflict into the proceedings (the focus is the problems that Frida and Diego faced in their relationship; while both actors offered fine performances, this aspect of the film wasn't that compelling after a while), nor does it really give that much insight into Frida's life. In trying to fit so many years into a couple of hours, it never goes too far into one aspect. There are other issues, too - Taymor introduces some additional visual/fantasy sequences at times, such as a hospital sequence that looks like something out of Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" and another sequence that's a take-off on "King Kong". The "King Kong" sequence was okay, but the other was a bit much. Neither of these sequences fit in too well with the rest of the movie, though, and Taymor's stylish visuals of reality (the scene with Rivera's work being taken off the wall under a sheet, with chunks falling to the floor, was quite haunting) at work were interesting enough.

While I had some concerns with "Frida", I found a lot to like. Hayek's performance is spirited and highly watchable. While we never get too deep into Frida's mind, her performance still remained very engaging. Molina also turns in a superb performance as Rivera. Supporting bits from Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton, Geoffrey Rush and Ashley Judd are good, although they're introduced in a way that makes the cameo appearance of these starts a bit too apparent. Taymor and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto come up with a vivid, fascinating look to the movie, with bright colors and creative compositions.

Although the movie could have maybe captured more depth had it focused on a shorter period of time, I enjoyed it. "Frida" offers fine performances, great visuals and its two hours are quite well-paced.